Category: Student Issues

10 Tips for Writing Scholarship Essays

Posted on by NVC PR

Everyone jumps at the opportunity of receiving free money, but as soon as we see that an essay is required, we immediately put it off. I know I’m guilty of this. But this past week, I had the opportunity to attend a workshop on how to write scholarship essays. During the workshop, I learned a lot and decided that it’d be great to share some tips with fellow students.

  1. Personalize your essay- The readers want to know who you are. A good way to do this is to tell a story.
  2. “Challenge” or “Obstacle”- When the prompt includes one of these words, write a story about how you overcame a challenge or obstacle. Mention how you “grew” from that. Correlate it with your education or finances.
  3. Talk about your “goals” and “vision”- The people giving away the money like to know that their money will be put to good use. Talking about your career goals is a great way to make that valid.
  4. Be specific – Tell them what you want to do with your life. Why you’re pursuing a higher education. Why you need the money etc.
  5. Imagine your audience – Your reader is a real person with a life and personality of their own. Talk to them as if they’re a friend. You will more than likely relate to them.
  6. Be memorable – Tell them things that make you unique. Use emotions that will leave them crying, angry, frustrated. Usually heartfelt stories make these marks.
  7. Don’t be formal – You are telling a story, you don’t need to be overly proper. You often times don’t even need an intro for essays like this, just begin telling your story.
  8. Use imagery – Describe emotions, settings, details etc.
  9. Follow the word count – Try not to go over the word limit but do not go drastically under. (Ex: if it’s 300 words, don’t go under 250)
  10. Read your essay and then read it AGAIN and then have someone else read it!

To apply for the Alamo Colleges and Northwest Vista College scholarships, go here.

By NVC Student Haneen Rafati

 

How to Stay Healthy as a College Student

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A student’s performance in school is heavily dependent on their overall health. Whether it’d be pertaining to their mental or physical health. As we approach the middle of the semester, it is crucial for student’s to take care of their well-being. All aspects of health correlate to each other and often times when we’re only paying attention to one, the others are abandoned. So, here are some tips that I do in order to stay healthy as a college student.

Preventing illness

  • Wash your hands!! – Germs are everywhere and they SPREAD through handshakes, opening a door, handling food or drinks.
  • Keep hand sanitizer with you – Washing your hands may not always be convenient and time friendly. Keeping sanitizer with you offers a quick and effective way to kill germs.
  • Up your water intake – You are more likely to stay healthy if you drink 62oz of water every day. Try adding half a lemon for taste. The benefits of lemon water can improve digestion, skin and weight loss.

Physical Health

  • Stay Active – This tip doesn’t necessarily involve working out or going to the gym. Simply walking around campus can aid with this goal. After a long day of classes, I do about 4,000 steps!
  • Mindful eating – Eat for fullness not satisfaction. Pause between bites and chew slowly! It aids with digestion and you get full faster.
  • Don’t restrict yourself – Often times restricting yourself from snacks and junk can result in binging. Try to limit your intake of unhealthy foods while simultaneously adding healthy foods into your diet for a balance!

Mental Health

  • Don’t bottle your feelings – Write, draw, talk it out with someone! But don’t keep it in. Decluttering your thoughts through a form of art can really make a difference.
  • Don’t neglect yourself- School can often be time consuming, but it’s important to make time for yourself to do the things you love.

By NVC Student Haneen Rafati

 

 

 

 

 

 

NVC Student Gets Priceless Opportunity to Take Part in NASA Program

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Northwest Vista College student Steven Moore is so knowledgeable about being on a plant-based diet, he incorporated his vegan lifestyle into a Mars proposal as part of NASA’s Community College Aerospace Scholars (NCAS) program that he participated in over the summer.

In order to survive on Mars, he said astronauts will have to adopt a plant-based diet since its unlikely farm animals will be able to survive the trip or can be supported on the red planet. In fact, NASA is already researching this diet for its astronauts for long missions. Steven’s proposal eventually led him all the way to the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. But getting there wasn’t easy.

To be selected, students must submit transcripts, and write essays discussing their desire to join the program. Steven also received help from NVC Engineering Coordinator Dr. Thomas Pressly, who wrote a recommendation letter for him. Out of 700 students nationwide who applied, Steven was first selected for the five-week online portion of the program. At the end program, students were given the choice to write about rebuilding a Mars rover, redoing a mission to Mars, or changing one of the habitat systems.

Steven’s vegan proposal went into further detail about the water reclaim system and the importance of having two different water filtration systems for women and men at the International Space Center. Steven researched more than 100 hours about this topic that dealt with long-term food storage, growing food in microgravity, longevity of plant-based food sources, and how a vegan diet can provide positive health benefits to astronauts. His long hours paid off. He was the only student to accomplish a perfect score on his proposal.

Steven was then one of just 320 students selected for the four-day, all expense paid trip to Alabama where students took part in STEM-based activities. During the site visit, students were able to compete in two different challenges, tour the facility, and hear from guest speakers, including Dr. Ruth Jones, the branch chief at the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center. Dr. Jones is considered the next generation of “Hidden Figures.” The movie “Hidden Figures” depicted the role African-American female mathematicians played to get the first man on the moon in the 1960’s.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Time for a Career Change…Back to School I Go

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Who wants to go to work and argue all day? Not I. Not anymore. I decided to change my career instead.

This was a major decision. I had to understand that for a period of 2 years, I would have to:

  • Give up substantial income;
  • Travel less;
  • Pamper myself less;
  • Stop helping others financially; and
  • Forego other luxuries I’d grown accustomed to.

First, I had the difficult task of identifying which path to pursue. I wanted a less stressful career with greater opportunities for flexibility. I researched career sites, spoke with a career coach, took personality tests, etc., and decided to pursue Front-End Web Development.

Next, I had to figure out the most cost-effective way to train for this career. I had the option to attend a coding boot camp, but I wanted a well-rounded education that would teach programming and design. I am on track to obtain a Level 1 Certificate in Digital Media through NVC.

I’m noticing how much has changed over the years since I’ve been in school. Not to worry, because I have good adaptation skills. I’ve decided to do things differently this time.

Online Courses

I avoided online courses in the past and now they make up 75% of my schedule. I am less inclined to join clubs or attend events. Although, I wish I were eligible to study abroad. That would be awesome.

Pressure

I’m also realizing the crazy amount of pressure I put on myself. I’m in my first semester and have experienced high levels of frustration while working through assignments. I’ve earned a BA in Political Science, a Paralegal Certificate and a lucrative career, yet I’m questioning my abilities this time around.

I had to stop comparing my older brain to my younger one. I’m more focused on learning skills and less focused on making the grade. I must stay mindful of my self-talk to make sure it’s positive.

Confidence

I have to stop being timid when interacting with my professors. When my confidence wanes, I question my decision to change my career. After feeling the thrill of creating a project, I want to experience it again and again.

I have pep talks with myself to reiterate that this is a new field and I need to allow myself time to learn and gain experience. I have great teachers who are more than willing to help. I also have an amazing support system existing of my husband and teenage son.

Hard work and confidence is key. It took great courage to take this step. It will all be worth it when I obtain my certificate and start my new career. I can do this!

By NVC Student Kaphillis Brown

 

 

I Have not Failed, I’ve Just Found 10,000 Ways That Won’t Work

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How does one just know what they want to be?

I’ve always been a good student who was in class every day, even when I was sick. I did my homework, made A’s and B’s, but when I graduated high school, I realized I had no idea what I wanted to do. I needed a plan, but I seriously felt so overwhelmed with all the options you’re given once you graduate high school.

I hated not knowing what to do and being this person just rolling through life. But it absolutely had to happen that way in order for me to figure it out. I had gone through high school doing everything everyone always told me to do and it got me nowhere, literally.

It took years of being in and out of college, experimenting in different jobs, and different settings before I found what I liked. My advice to early-college students – it’s absolutely OK with not knowing exactly what you’re doing. There is no manual for this, but if you stay persistent and patient, you will figure it out. In the famous words of Thomas Edision, “I have not failed, I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”

By NVC Student Alexandra Ortiz

Why I Chose to Attend a Community College

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As a high school senior, I felt pressured when I noticed my peers were applying to and planning to attend four year universities. But, I never felt obligated to follow the crowd and pursue something that I knew wasn’t for me. Going into college, I wasn’t sure about many things, but I was sure I wanted to attend a community college and I had my reasons.

  1. Affordability – Community colleges are known to be much cheaper than four year universities and the price variation is one of the biggest reasons why many students attend community colleges.
  2. Smaller classrooms- I’ve been accustomed to classrooms with no more than 30 students my entire life. I wanted to make sure that my transition from high school to college wasn’t too different because I didn’t want to overwhelm myself. Auditoriums with about 200 students sounded too overwhelming. I also like the idea of small classrooms because it allows for the students to establish a relationship with the professor which makes it easier to communicate about your school work.
  3. Staying local- Community colleges are meant to serve and be available to those in the same community. I was really fond of the idea that I didn’t have to drive far to attend my classes. It makes showing up to class so much easier.

At the end of the day, there is no certain medal or certificate that one gets for the school they attend. Instead it’s about being financially smart and responsible. No one’s accomplishments should be judged by the type of college they attend.

By NVC Student Haneen Rafati

NVC Student Researcher Determines there are no Sasquatch on Campus

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Over the summer NVC student Allie Sanchez used camera “traps”—motion-sensor cameras affixed to trees—to conduct an exploratory study of campus wildlife. Having been bitten by the “research bug” last year while studying, presenting, and publishing on students’ knowledge of climate change research alongside other NVC students, Allie embarked on a student-faculty, extracurricular study of her own design.

Allie worked with Dr. Scott Walker in Geography and Environmental Sustainability to plan out where to place three camera traps around wooded parts of our campus and to map their locations using geospatial technology. For eight weeks Allie checked the cameras and retrieved the photos to determine what wildlife roams NVC day and night. She discovered raccoons, whitetail deer, opossum, skunk, a sounder of six feral hogs, coyote, grey fox, and a black-crested titmouse—a small bird common to this area. She was unable to “capture” any wildcat images.

Allie said “all this experience alone is worth more than a four-year degree.” When asked exactly what that means, she stated that she learned “not to be intimidated by something that seems monumental by taking a big project and breaking it down into smaller pieces.” She learned how to plan research, do a literature review, conduct statistical analyses, work with her research colleagues to write a peer-reviewed journal article, and present at a professional academic conference alongside graduate students and faculty from research-one universities—schools like the University of Texas-Austin and Louisiana State University.

She stated this work has boosted her self-confidence and she now finds herself doing some literature review work at UT Health San Antonio where she works as a full-time administrative assistant. Allie is moving on to Texas A&M-San Antonio this semester to pursue a BS in Biology with a concentration in Ecology.

Students interested in doing student-faculty research in Geography and Environmental Sustainability as an extracurricular activity, or for GEOG 2389-Academic Cooperative (independent study) elective credit, contact Dr. Scott Walker, [email protected]. Dr. Walker can also update students on the new BS in Environmental Science Field of Study coming in 2020 and discuss transferring to UTSA’s upcoming Environmental Studies BA degree.

 

NVC Honor Society Sets Bar High for Success

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Are you destined to be a leader? Do you want to improve your self-esteem? Gain valuable networking skills? Or are looking for a motivating group of peers to help you achieve your goals?

Look no further than the National Society of Leadership & Success honor society at Northwest Vista College. This is the nation’s largest leadership honor society and the first honor society to become accredited as a leadership program by AdvancED. At the college level, the decade-old NVC chapter is the largest leadership organization on campus. Last year, members participated in over 3,800 hours of engagement on campus and over 1,000 hours of service in the community to earn the U.S. President’s Volunteer Service Award.

For the last three years, the NVC chapter was placed on the NSLS Founder’s List, one of the highest honors of NSLS’s Pillar Program. Based on the 10 best practices (pillars) of a healthy chapter, the National Office developed the program to help set up chapters for long-term success. This year, the NVC chapter earned an additional four pillars making their pillar total 14.

“We have an amazing group of dedicated student leaders. They have all graduated and are attending universities this fall,” said Kelly Blanco, NVC chapter advisor.

NSLS provides a step-by-step program for members to build their leadership skills. Upon completion of the program, members receive their leadership certificate and are able to list their affiliation on all statements of personal accomplishment, including their resume.

Membership is for life and provides access to benefits including scholarships and awards, employer recruitment through an online job bank, and discounts on computers, and much more.

Students are selected by their college for membership based on either academic standing or leadership potential.

For more information about the NVC chapter of NSLS, visit https://www.alamo.edu/nvc/experience-nvc/campus-life/student-life/honor-societies/

 

Developing the Next Generation of Entrepreneurs

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The popular show “Shark Tank” has a simple premise: find a solution to a problem and if you can make money off of it, you may find yourself leaving the show with an investor.

This premise opened the eyes of Northwest Vista College students who put their Shark Tank skills to use last semester. The Northwest Vista College Discovery & Innovative Competition offered a platform for students to pursue an idea, innovation or discovery project they were passionate about. Working in collaboration with faculty mentors, students developed their idea over three rounds of training to create a written business proposal and then give a presentation in front of judges.

Instead of investors, four students received seed money from Alamo Colleges’ The Learning Company to execute their projects. The winners also received an opportunity to attend “The Future Festival” earlier in July in Philadelphia which focused on the development of ideas. In addition to The Learning Company, the NVC Student Activity fee provided prize money for the top four winners of the competition.

“The Future Festival gave us a unique opportunity to understand some of the biggest trends affecting our business, life, and the world. Before the conference, we knew that research helps us formulate our strategy for any project or decision,” said Calvin Fogle, assistant professor & program coordinator of the NVC Business & Entrepreneurship Institute. “But we did not know about the extent and efficiency of research that companies are able to do with data analytics.”

For the students involved in this project, some will never forget it, such as Analisa Rojas, who created Studipedia, which has the goal to create short college videos tailored to a specific course. She’s hoping to solve the problem that most study videos are too general. As part of the process, Analisa had to write a reflection of her experience:

“This phenomenal journey, that started with a concept idea and morphed into the incubation stage for my presentation, was an educational voyage that tested my motivational endurance, pushed me outside of my comfort zone, and taught me the value of entrepreneurship,” said Analisa who won the grand prize of $1,000 and will begin implementing her business with the help of the seed money.

Three other students won prize money provided by the NVC Student Activity Fee: Farhana Khan won the second-place prize of $900, Adrian Arevalo received the third-place prize of $800, and Shantal Rivera snagged the fourth-place prize of $700.

Two of the winning student proposals focused on reducing plastic waste and recycling, and the other business proposal is a digital application for the eye care industry.

Calvin said the competition was targeted to students in Institute of Health and Biosciences, Institute of Creative & Communication Arts, Institute of Science & Technology, and the Institute of Business & Entrepreneurial students.

He added students also received content-specific training and were shown how to prepare budgets, and how to manufacture and market a product. He said a huge thank you goes to the NVC Business Council, and The Learning Company, which is a collaboration between the Alamo Colleges and local business leaders to train the next generation of entrepreneurs and innovators.

“We created the competition to support entrepreneurship and innovation in the classroom with a platform for students to pursue an idea they are passionate about,” Calvin added. “A lot of times we don’t see our impact, but reading the reflection papers by the students provided us some good feedback of our attempt to expand innovation and entrepreneurship.”

Contest winner Farhana Khan wrote in her reflection paper:

“When the Discovery and Innovation Competition was first announced earlier this spring at Northwest Vista College, I was sure not to participate in it. I assumed that competitions like that are for scientists or business-oriented people. However, during the spring 2019 Faculty and Student Mixer, Professor (Ralph) Mendez asked a simple question, ‘Do you see a problem around you?’ That question made a lot of students start sharing ideas during the event. I took out my pen and paper and started writing the issues that I always wanted to fix. Within a week, I had six to seven problems and possible solutions for them.

Still, I was not sure how far I would go. But I knew that there is a 100% chance of failure if I don’t try. The experience of going through the idea formation and business plan, although painful at times, is well worth the effort. It conditions the participants to be solution finders, not whiners.”

NVC faculty are already preparing for the next competition, which will have sign up dates of Aug. 26 to Sept. 15. Winners will travel to an entrepreneurship conference in New Orleans in January. For questions, email Calvin Fogle at [email protected]

Health Experts Talk with Students About Careers

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The Northwest Vista College Pre-Health Delegation (PHD) club had another successful, well-attended event with over 100 student participants.

The event featured health professionals who volunteered to talk to our students and offered a glimpse into their careers and academic journeys. Our health care professionals were:

  • Linda Doyle,PharmD, RPh-Pharmacist, Methodist Specialty and Transplant Hospital
  • Raphael Guerra DDS- Dentist, owner of Raphael Guerra Family Dentistry
  • Kenny Hogan, DPT, PT- Physical Therapist, co-owner of Stratton Rehabilitation
  • Isabel Ramos- Lebron, MS, RDN, LD- Dietician Wellness Education Manager- San Antonio Food Bank

Students interacted with our panelists and asked them various questions. It was hosted by PHD President John Pinion and VPs Samantha Williams, Aisha Landeros and Alice Heugel.

The PHD club is NVC’s Health and Science Student Club and is currently recruiting officers and members for fall of 2019. Interested students can submit their applications to be a part of the club via AlamoSync throughout the summer and will be notified in August. Just search for NVC Pre Health Delegation on AlamoSync.